With just 9 weeks to go for employers to publish their 2024/25 gender pay gap data, less than one in seven employers have actually done so, so far.
Gender Pay Gap Data
Deadlines
The deadline for public sector employers to report their gender pay gap data will be the 30th March 2025, with a snapshot date of the 31st March 2024. For private sector employers and voluntary organisations, the deadline will be the 4th April 2025, with a snapshot date of the 5th April 2024.
Just 11.93% Reported So Far
Of the approximately 11,000 employers who are required to report their gender pay gap data, as at the 15th January 2025, just 1312 employers have done so (equating to just 11.93%). Hence, with just 9 weeks to go before the deadlines expire, over 85% of employers have left their reporting very late.
Historically, nevertheless, employers have left their gender pay gap data reporting late. For the 2018/19 reporting year, for instance, as at the 24th February 2019, just 1251 employers had reported their data.
Enforcement
Those employers who fail to submit their gender pay gap data on time face enforcement action. Private sector employers are subject to investigation under section 20 of the Equality Act 2006, and are then issued with an unlawful act notice. If they fail to comply with the notice, then the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can apply for a court order requiring them to do so. Should the employer breach that court order, then this is punishable upon conviction with a level 5 (unlimited) fine.
Named & Shamed
Furthermore, once a case reaches the investigation stage, then details are published on the EHRC’s website at the start of the investigation. In the 2018/19 reporting year, for instance, 47 employers were named and shamed in this manner, whilst in the 2021/22 reporting year, 28 employers were named and shamed. In the 2022/23 reporting year, 8 employers were named and shamed.
The final report that the EHRC produces is also published on their website.
Non-Compliance Falling
In the 2023/24 reporting year, just 6 employers were named and shamed and had their details published on the EHRC website. Accordingly the level of non-compliance in terms of reporting obligations over the last 5 years has fallen considerably, down 41 from 47 in the the 2018/19 reporting year, to just 6 last year. This represents a fall of 87.23%.
Last Years Data
Analysis of the 2023/24 gender pay gap data found that compared to the 2022/23 reporting year, the median gender pay gap in terms of hourly pay narrowed from 9.8% to 9.1%, the lowest level since mandatory gender pay gap reporting began in 2017. The data also revealed that:-
- 78.4% of employers pay men more than women
- The gender pay gap was wider than average in the public sector, with a median pay gap of 14.4%, with 87.6% of employers paying men more than women.
- The sector of the economy with the largest gender pay gap was construction (22.8%). This was closely followed by finance and insurance with a gap of 21.5%, and then education with a gap of 20%. Amongst the lowest gaps were the accommodation and food sector (0.5%) and health and social work (1.5%).
Reaction
Commenting upon last year's gender pay gap findings, Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), stated: “Working women deserve equal pay. But the gender pay gap is still a huge issue. At current rates of progress, it will take more than 20 years to bring men and women’s pay into line. That is not right. We cannot consign yet another generation of women to pay inequality. It’s clear that just requiring companies to publish their gender pay gaps isn’t working. Companies must now be required to implement action plans to close their pay gaps.“
New Report Finds Gap Will Not Close Until 2065
Meanwhile a new report by Isio has found that given the current rate of progress, it will take until 2065 to close the gender pay gap.
